The Stars Above

One of my interests is astronomy. When I was a young boy my parents took me to the Planetarium in London, and (despite convincing myself the sun was going to explode after a particularly vivid scene showing just that) I think this is where my passion for the subject began.

We are surrounded by a sky filled with stars, and each star is different. Every one has a slightly different makeup, and there are far more than those we can see as well. Since ancient times they have fascinated our ancestors, and as we develop our understanding of the cosmos, we have come to realise that many of these stars have planets. What’s more, we now know that the stars are not the only remarkable bodies up there – nebulae, black holes, molecular clouds and more make up the universe around us, and our knowledge of it all is still far from complete.

We have come to learn that some of the most violent objects and processes in the universe may have actually played a key role in our very existence. With this set of pages I’ll be looking at different aspects of stellar phenomena, as well as taking a look back at how heavenly bodies have influenced our culture and religion. I ask that you don’t treat what you read here as scientifically accurate – I am strictly of amateur interest!